John Dunlop is no stranger to Chester Cup success, having landed the valuable staying prize with Fantasy Hill four years ago. The veteran trainer can be on the mark at the Roodeye today with progressive young stayer The Nawab in the totesport-sponsored
A German cyclist who has been on the road since 1962 was last night reunited with his bicycle after it was stolen within hours of him arriving in the UK. Thieves struck as Heinz Stucke slept in his tent in Portsmouth, Hampshire. Mr Stucke, who was registered
BOOK chain Waterstone's was last night set to duel with Amazon for online sales after severing its partnership with the US group. Waterstone's will launch its own website this autumn to compete more aggressively for sales as shoppers switch from buying
SOFTWARE firm Sage said yesterday that it was still chasing acquisitions - despite failing to land Norwegian rival Visma last month. The Newcastle group unveiled a 19 per cent rise in first-half profits to £113.7m and said a push into new territories
Three toddlers remained seriously ill in hospital last night with kidney failure following a suspected outbreak of E. coli. The three two-year-olds, who attend a nursery in Dunfermline, Fife, were being treated at Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital. The children
England captain David Beckham has hailed new England manager Steve McClaren as ''the best coach I have ever worked with''. McClaren, who has assisted national team boss Sven-Goran Eriksson for five years, will take over from the Swede after this summer's
STEVE McClaren will take charge of his final game as Middlesbrough manager this evening, and the future England boss has promised to leave the club's first European trophy as his parting gift. Five years after replacing Bryan Robson, McClaren is hoping
A QUICK-THINKING police officer has been hailed a hero for the second time in two years after he saved a hostage during a terrifying siege at a hospital casualty department. PC David Morgan used his Taser stun gun to disarm a prisoner who was holding
THOUSANDS of football fans were last night travelling to Eindhoven to roar on Middlesbrough in the biggest match in the club's history. As the players flew out yesterday morning for tonight's UEFA Cup final, tens of thousands of fans were preparing to
A MAN remains in a critical condition after walking into the path of a bus yesterday evening. The 42-year-old was crossing Marton Road, in Middlesbrough, shortly after 5pm when the accident happened directly outside the James Cook University Hospital.
ONE person has been confirmed dead and two injured following this morning's explosion at a house in North Shields. Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to a house in Grey Street in the town just before 8am following the explosion. Eyewitnesses
MILLIONS of people in the North are missing out because the economic and social dominance of London and the South-East is holding other regions back, a two-year study has reported. It says there must be greater investment, including a new or improved
STEVE McClaren will take charge of his final game as Middlesbrough manager this evening, and the future England boss has promised to leave the club's first European trophy as his parting gift. Five years after replacing Bryan Robson, McClaren is hoping
THIEVES who stole more than a dozen pigeons from a pensioner may have returned 48 hours later to try and steal more. They struck on Wednesday night last week, at Brandon Allotments, near Brandon United Football Club, in County Durham, and stole more than
SALTBURN, Marske and New Marske Parish Council has elected Vera Rider as chairwoman. The retired BT employee has lived in New Marske for 22 years and has been a parish councillor for the past three years. A founding member of New Marske in Bloom, she
A TEESSIDE high street is expected to become a hive of activity from this weekend, with the arrival of Sunday shopping. Stockton Borough Council has liaised with shops and businesses in the High Street to get as many as possible on board, with the result
A TOURIST information point threatened with closure has seen a 30 per cent increase in business since reopening last month. The Great Ayton service was to close this year after Hambleton District Council withdrew its support. But Great Ayton Parish Council
PEOPLE living next to a controversial housing scheme say that promises to impose age restrictions on prospective buyers have been ignored. The development at Wheatlands Farm, Redcar, has attracted widespread opposition since the initial proposal was made
STEVE Harmison has been given the all-clear to make his comeback in the Durham team to play Middlesex in the four-day match starting at Riverside today. The paceman missed the third Test in India and the one-day internationals because of a shin injury
BUDDING rock musicians got a taste of the world of pop music during a workshop at a Durham school yesterday. The opportunity for students at Belmont School Community Arts College came through a visit by former County Durham teacher Andrew Meadowcroft,
TIME is running out for residents to have their voice heard about public spaces in their borough. Stockton Borough Council is looking at the quality and quantity of public spaces, such as formal public squares, churchyards and roadside amenity areas,
A TOP Premiership footballer is making sure efforts to increase breastfeeding are in good hands. Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is supporting National Breastfeeding Week. The Australian international is promoting the week, from Sunday until May
VOLUNTEERS have spruced up a Teesside cemetery. The Friends of Spion Kop Cemetery, in Hartlepool, staged a litter-pick and general tidy-up to coincide with Spring Clean Hartlepool, an initiative that began last month and runs until the end of this month
A WOMAN whose dog was found dead after a Christmas Day argument with her former partner was awarded £150 compensation by a court. Matthew James Clark, 27, of Tom Raine Court, Darlington, also received a 24-month community order and was ordered to pay
POLICE in Darlington are asking a passer-by to help them by trace a thief. The culprit broke into a lorry which was making a delivery in the town's Langdale Road and stole a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, a satellite navigation system and more than £200
HEARTBROKEN Middlesbrough fans applauded their valiant heroes as they fell at their final hurdle to European glory last night. They continued to chant and applaud for their heroes as they collapsed broken-hearted on the pitch following Sevilla's emphatic
A WOMAN who sold pirate DVDs was caught when she sent advertising for her illegal cottage industry to a police officer. Michelle Graver, 45, made counterfeit copies of films, computer games and music discs in the front room of her home in Tudhoe Moor,
A schoolboy was raped on holiday by another guest at his seaside hotel, a court was told. A police investigation began after the 12-year-old from County Durham, who has learning difficulties, told his social worker that he had been attacked by a man he
No wonder many of the baby-boomers are these days finding themselves so short of cash. Millions of over 50s are almost permanently overdrawn, says new research from the price comparison company uswitch. Instead of learning how to look after their pennies
RAY Parlour is expected to make only his third European start of the season when Middlesbrough take on Sevilla in Eindhoven's Philips Stadion tonight. The former England international, who has finished on the losing side in two European finals with his
The European heroes of North-East football were waved off by appreciative fans as they prepared for the biggest night in the club's history. Paul Cook was at Durham Tees Valley Airport to watch Middlesbrough's players board their plane. IT barely seems
FRANCK QUEUDRUE feels playing for Middlesbrough in Eindhoven proves his gamble to leave former UEFA Cup semi-finalists RC Lens was well worth taking - even if tonight's showpiece has already left a bitter taste in his mouth. The Frenchman has claimed
RAY Parlour is expected to make only his third European start of the season when Middlesbrough take on Sevilla in Eindhoven's Philips Stadion tonight. The former England international, who has finished on the losing side in two European finals with his
COUNCILLORS protested last night after learning of proposals to close a day surgery unit at busy community hospital. Derwentside District Council voted unanimously to pass a motion calling on the County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
BY the end of this evening, Gareth Southgate could have become the biggest winner in Middlesbrough's 130-year history. Should he become the first of the club's players to lift the UEFA Cup above his head in the state-of-the-art environs of the Philips
CABLE company NTL said last night it was outsourcing 54 jobs at its Stockton call centre as part of plans to cut 6,000 posts nationwide by the end of next year, following its merger with rival Telewest. But a threat still hangs over the 460-strong workforce
STEVE McCLAREN was the man responsible for recruiting Chris Riggott and the composed defender wants to give him the perfect send-off as Middlesbrough manager tonight. McClaren's last match in charge will be this evening's UEFA Cup final with Sevilla in
A psychopath who mutilated and murdered a three-year-old girl after being let out of hospital has had his minimum jail term set at 16 years by a High Court judge. Shaun Armstrong, then 33, was jailed for life at Leeds Crown Court in July 1995 after pleading
AS yet another report underlines the gloomy consequences of the North-South divide, the North-East could always do with something to cheer about. And there is nothing quite like a footballing success for raising, not only the spirits, but also the economic
BY the end of this evening, Gareth Southgate could have become the biggest winner in Middlesbrough's 130-year history. Should he become the first of the club's players to lift the UEFA Cup above his head in the state-of-the-art environs of the Philips
CABLE company NTL said last night it was outsourcing 54 jobs at its Stockton call centre as part of plans to cut 6,000 posts nationwide by the end of next year, following its merger with rival Telewest. But a threat still hangs over the 460-strong workforce
Yorkshire director of cricket David Byas has dismissed speculation Michael Vaughan will make his long-awaited comeback from injury this week. The England captain has not played since being forced home from the tour of India in February by a persistent
YOUNG athletes from across Teesdale have been battling it out during an inter-schools cross-country race. Eleven schools took part in the 13th annual Teesdale Primary Schools Cross Country event held on a 2km course in the grounds of Barnard Castle School
A DISCIPLINARY hearing into the conduct of two councillors was adjourned yesterday so that a new panel can be appointed. Stanhope Parish Council chairman John Shuttleworth and vice-chairman Richard Mews face allegations that they breached the authority's
A MINIBUS service used mainly by elderly and disabled people could face closure because of a cash shortage. Thousands of people with special transport needs, including those in wheelchairs, have travelled on the Bedale Volunteer minibus since it was set
AN ME sufferer has helped organise a sponsored abseil to coincide with a week to raise awareness about the condition. Joanna Hainsworth, of Newcastle, has arranged the event at the Tyne Bridge, on Sunday. She said: "We have already had about 70 people
PENSIONS REFORM : The pensions system isn't working - two million pensioners live in poverty and many more struggle to make ends meet. Small increases in the State pension do not cover the steep rises in council tax, water and energy bills experienced
TEENAGERS are to be given the chance to work alongside professional firefighters in a project aimed at reducing arson. The Young Firefighters scheme is open to any 13 to 17-year-olds in the Seaham area. The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue
PEOPLE are being invited to join a village's celebrations. It is ten years since a restoration scheme for the Mechanics' Institute at Kirkby Malzeard was first suggested. The work has just been completed and the new-look village hall is being opened for
A PARISH council chairwoman has said there is not enough room for any more houses in her village. Councillor Doris Jones, the chairwoman of Middleton St George Parish Council, has said more services need to be provided in the village before any more homes
'WE'VE got to listen to the people... to the concerns that worry them.'' Thus Gordon Brown, in the wake of Labour's thrashing in the local elections. Nothing new there, then. Mr Brown's remarks, on Radio 4's Today, came shortly after an item about the
A COMMUNITY one-stop shop will stage an open day to tell South Durham residents about the work it does to boost their health and quality of life. The Pioneering Care Centre, in Newton Aycliffe, will hold the event on Tuesday May 23, between 10am and 4pm
MEN and women in Hartlepool are more likely to die young of heart disease than elsewhere in the region. Figures produced by the British Heart Foundation point to Hartlepool having an uneviable record compared to the rest of the region when it comes to
He's only 17, but already the hopes of a nation are being pinned on Theo Walcott. Lindsay Jennings looks at the pressures the teenage striker is facing and how he might handle them. THEO Walcott was taking his driving theory test when the call came through
THE Government was last night heavily criticised for approving wide-ranging port expansion in the South when northern ports are better positioned for growth. The report from the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) said the Government had "fatally
Mr Martin Bell, battlefront broadcaster and white-charged former MP, was guest speaker at the North-East Press Awards on Saturday evening. He was most impressive, the insistence that he and ITN colleague Sandy Gall had countenances like a relief map of
GLENN Roeder is set to be unveiled as Newcastle United manager on Monday after the club won the backing of Premiership chairman in their effort to appoint him. The 50-year-old will be presented at a press conference by chairman Freddy Shepherd, whose
A FORMER bank manager previously jailed for fleecing a golf club of £124,000 was last night back behind bars. Alan Christopher Craddock, 56, was given the six-month sentence after Durham Crown Court heard how he opened credit card accounts in the name
THOUSANDS of football fans were last night travelling to Eindhoven to roar on Middlesbrough in the biggest match in the club's history. As the players flew out yesterday morning for tonight's UEFA Cup final, tens of thousands of fans were preparing to
No wonder many of the baby-boomers are these days finding themselves so short of cash. Millions of over 50s are almost permanently overdrawn, says new research from the price comparison company uswitch. Instead of learning how to look after their pennies
Mr Martin Bell, battlefront broadcaster and white-charged former MP, was guest speaker at the North-East Press Awards on Saturday evening. He was most impressive, the insistence that he and ITN colleague Sandy Gall had countenances like a relief map of
Cup Final tickets were yesterday changing hands for hundreds of pounds each as desperate Boro fans made a last-ditch bid to see their heroes in action. It is thought as many as 5,000 ticketless fans could be heading for Eindhoven and may fall prey to
THE UK's biggest ice cream maker last night said it had managed to increase half-year profits to £2.9m - despite a difficult marketplace. Richmond Foods, based in Leeming Bar, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, said take-home sales of its ice cream
